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25 Replies to “Disney!”

I made a very long, very detailed version of this post, but my phone decided to delete it right before posting, so you’ll have to settle for the short, to-the-point version. Both Disney and Pixar added:

2) Hercules: the greatest Disney soundtrack ever (Go the Distance and Gospel Truth, anybody?), the different approach to love, the topic of belonging hits close to home, other topics that are very interesting, can identify with Meg’s character, the mythology.

3)Up: the producers managed to make a love story in less than 10 minutes and without the use of dialogue that even this INTJ felt, inspired in my country’s natural wonders, character development, flora and fauna, beautiful soundtrack and to the eyes.

4) Monsters, Inc: one of the most quotable movies, very smart and creative, enjoyable, never gets old.

5) The Lion King: the setting in stunning Africa, charismatic characters (Raffiki for the win), one of the best villians in Disney (Scar and the hyenas), funny but with a few sad moments (who doesn’t remember the death of Mufasa), the entrance with The Circle of Life is epic.

And extra, because thats not really breaking the rules, Fantasia, mixes music with stunning storylines to make an absolute masterpiece.

I’m sorry, I couldn’t do it. I still can’t. I can’t pick only five. So I’m going to pick three I don’t think anyone else has (you should see my list–I actually pulled up a list of all the animated movies Disney has made and made myself pick only handful, but even that’s almost a dozen). I love Lilo and Stitch–sci/fi for little kids? Count me in! I love the character development, and how different it is from a lot of Disney movies. I mean, it’s definitely Disney, but it’s got its own flavor. I also love A Bug’s Life–such a great movie, with a hilarious cast of characters. And there are so many quotable lines! And the other movie I’ll pick is Fantasia 2000–I still haven’t seen the original Fantasia (or not all the way through, anyway), but I love the stories they set to music. They chose such perfect little tales to go with the music.

I know it’s supposed to have some downright scary stuff in it. That’s one think I love about old Disney stuff (like Sleeping Beauty–Malificent is terrifying); they weren’t afraid to make their movies scary.

You know what? I need to rediscover Malificent! I know she’s fantastic, and usually makes it in everyone’s top 5 Disney villains list (ooh… there’s a thought…) but I am not sure I’ve seen that film more than once — not to mention, I haven’t seen it in TWENTY YEARS. (OH MY GOSH, I FEEL OLD.) Yep, need to rent it, just for the awesome animation alone.

I’m being good and not including Pixar since they’re a totally different entity. 😉

1) Aladdin – I mean, seriously, wow! I saw it the year it came out and fell absolutely head over heels. Maybe it was Abu and the Carpet, maybe it was the brilliance of Genie, or it could just be that I loved the fact that Aladdin isn’t a prince. He’s a street rat and that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Plus, Princess Jasmine has the greatest hair and personality. She’s tough and likeable and not simpering like the classic Disney Princesses.

2) Beauty & the Beast – I’ve always been partial to this one. The radiant dance sequence with Belle in the yellow ball gown, the humor of Lumiere and Cogsworth, but especially, the love and sacrifice Belle shows towards her father. The message of redemption is a beautiful one, plus that final scene with the kiss is epic.

3) Tangled – This is when Disney recaptured some of their 90s magic. Rapunzel is a likeable and sweet heroine, but spunky in her own right. It helps that she’s blonde and so am I (although she’s not a natural blonde as we learn). Plus, yet another hero who isn’t a Prince! Flynn is Disney’s best male character since Aladdin, by far! I heard the argument from some Christian parents that Rapunzel rebels against her mother in this movie. Say what? The last time I checked, the witch was NOT her mother so Rapunzel is under no obligation to obey her! Sometimes Christian parents can take things a tad too far.

4) Wreck it Ralph – I’m shocked that this one made it into my list, but it’s an incredible movie. Ralph is the villain in his game, but he doesn’t want to be the villain anymore, he wants to be the hero. He’s actually a nice guy, although with a bit of a temper on him. It’s the story of a character who wants to be more than he is, who isn’t tied down by society’s perception of him. Plus, it’s hysterically funny!

5) The Little Mermaid – Another one that I was sort of raised on. I wavered between this and The Lion King, but Ariel won out. I’ve always been fascinated with mermaids, even wore sheets wrapped around my waist as a kid to imitate the tail. I really just love this movie because it’s pretty. I don’t really believe that love hits as fast as it does for Ariel, or even as it does for Jasmine, but The Little Mermaid is still amazing.

When my dad brought Aladdin home, I watched it… rewound it, and watched it again. I LOVED it. The approach was so different from many films, since it focused much more on its hero than many Disney productions.

The ending sequence, when Beast transforms back into a prince, and light and joy enters the kingdom… is one of my favorite moments in all of cinema. It’s magnificent.

Um… not to put too fine a point on it, but Ariel also rebels against her father. Belle disobeys her father by sacrificing herself on his behalf. Disney is full of rebellious children who learn something along the way. God tells us to treat our elders with respect, not to obey them if they ask us to do something wrong. In Rapunzel’s case, she had every right to escape a controlling, emotionally abusive relationship.

I have not seen Wreck it Ralph, nor did I even know it was a Disney film!

The Little Mermaid is indeed wonderful. Darn it, when will they announce the release date?!?

Top five!? Um… I don’t know, it’s been ages since I watched any of them. Liz takes a huge stack every now and then from us. As kids we were jointly given multiple VHS tapes of the beloved classics during birthdays and Christmas. Let’s see…

The Aristocats – what can be said about this one?! It’s DARN cute. The little kittens, the journey to return home, the humor, yep, love it!

Cinderella – just because I am a sucker for romance and I watched it DOZENS of times as a kid.

The Little Mermaid – as a little girl, I am told that this was my most favorite movie. Why, I don’t know. My best guess? The romance – oh and maybe even as a kid, I secretly wanted red hair. 😉

The Rescuers – because it’s cute! I mean, really!? How can anyone NOT like this one.

Tangled – one of Disney’s new films, I adored this movie as an adult. It’s enchanting, has great music and rocks the animation and humor to boot. Plus Flynn is kinda’ cute.

To be honest, I am not sure Beauty and the Beast was a favorite. Why, I do not know! I mean, it’s quite possibly the most poignant Disney film and as weird as it sounds to say that about an animated classic, it’s true! To be loved for the person underneath and not for being “beautiful.” *sigh* So charming and eye-opening.

I hadn’t watched any of them in years but recently got out a stack and sat through them — once I started, I couldn’t stop! I even went through and watched a lot of the hour-long (or more) featurettes on all the special edition disks. I used to beg for a new Disney movie whenever one came out. I blush to think how much it cost my poor dad!

The Aristocats is darling — and revolves around cats, which is nice, since often in Disney movies, cats are the bad guys!

Cinderella is one of the better “older” Disney films!

The Little Mermaid was the first Disney movie I was allowed to see with “magic” in it, so it holds a special place in my heart. My mom had somewhere to go that day and was irked when she got home that I hadn’t waited to watch it with her. But I didn’t mind seeing it twice in one day!

The Rescuers is one of my mom’s favorites. It’s darling.

Flynn is awesome in Tangled. I love her bipolar period. “This is the best day ever! I’m such a horrible person!”

Part of the allure for me is a gorgeous backdrop for a film — and that’s something B&TB has in spades; stunning background animation.

Me?

I love: The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, and… I’m having a really hard time choosing between The Great Mouse Detective (Sherlock Holmes!), Aladdin (terrific villain!), and Pocahauntas (incredible score and my favorite style of animation).

Oh, gosh…I’m such a sucker for Disney, so hard to pick just five! So I’m going to be totally random…

Tangled is probably my “newest” favorite…I was always called Rapunzel as a child because of my long hair and I used to wish they had a “disney” version…so even at twenty-two-at-the-time i was so excited. 🙂 It’s also one of the only Disney princess films to have a couple whose relationship develops…not that my romantic sucker heart doesn’t love a love-at-first-sight story, but it is a nice change. 🙂

Beauty and the Beast – because it’s so gorgeous, because I love the heroine (it was my favorite before Tangled), because it’s set exactly like a musical (which is probably why it translated to stage so well)…my brother was like, “none of the songs are totally-cheesy-animated film-songs, they’re all great!” Again, a developing relationship couple.

Cinderella – because it was my favorite for years and years. Nostalgia. Same goes for The Little Mermaid.

The Lion King – hadn’t seen it in years and just revisited it a few months ago – for all the reasons you mentioned – Hamlet in Disney form (and with a happy ending), one of the most awesome villains ever, and great voice talent, while I’m at it (James Earl Jones AND Jeremy Irons in one movie – sexy voice overload!!!)

All of the Pixars, seriously…they can’t go wrong!

I feel like it’s the Disney version of the end of Hebrews 11 – wanting to list a million other titles on here…:)

Maybe it was mean to ask my readers to choose just five… I got to 4 (the top 4 for me are easy) and then was left choosing between Aladdin, Pocahauntas, and The Great Mouse Detective. UGH!

Tangled also has a great hero in it — Flynn is one of the more memorable “princes” in the Disney canon; he certainly has a lot of personality!

Beauty & the Beast (which almost everyone adores, unsurprisingly) is a wonderful film. I do love the music. I find it ironic that the composer and lyricist were rejected on Broadway, so they went to Disney and created the score for a film — that later became a best-selling Broadway musical. Hahaha, revenge!

I haven’t seen Cinderella in years, but I remember the mice!

Oh, yes, one of the huge draws for The Lion King is the vocal talent — Scar is amazing. I was such a voice-addict as a child… still am. Heh.

I wanted to post earlier, but things got in the way. But now I got to read everyone else’s posts and have fun realizing that there are too many movies that I need to watch again soon.

Top Five Disney Movies? That’s a tough one, it should be more like Top 10, or Top 20. But oh well.

1. Beauty and the Beast – for all the reasons you listed Charity. I am a fan of rather non-traditional love stories and a Beast falling for a beautiful girl and she coming to love him gives me the warm fuzzies. However, my sister, who hates Professor Baher, Colonel Brandon and frankly any older, uglier, or “out of her league” guy, has a thing to two to say to rain on my parade when we watch this movie.

2. Aladdin – because I love to see people grow up on screen, and Aladdin does just that. Also, the Genie is quotable to the extreme. Some of my favorite bits of animation ever can be found in this movie.

3. Wall-E – My favorite Disney/Pixar collaboration (and that is saying something because there isn’t one that I don’t love). It makes me sigh, gasp, giggle, and almost cry every single time.

4. The Hunchback of Notre Dam – I thought I was the only one who liked this movie, but I am very glad to find out that I am not! The scene where Quasimodo is tied down and pelted with rotten veggies by the townsfolk makes me incredibly sad and angry at the same time.

5. Snow White – I am going out on a limb here and citing this movie because it practically defined my childhood. I adored Snow White when I was little and although it doesn’t hold the same wide eyed wonder for me anymore (certain things annoy me like crazy now), it still holds a major place in my heart.

However, my sister, who hates Professor Baher, Colonel Brandon and frankly any older, uglier, or “out of her league” guy, has a thing to two to say to rain on my parade when we watch this movie.

… anyone who hates on Brandon, the Beast, or Baher…

… where was I? Oh, yeah.

B&TB is great: it’s a classic, and the “most beloved” of the adaptations for a reason. Gorgeous animation particularly at the end, with the transformation of the Beast (talk about a perfect symbolic representation of our transformation in Christ).

Aladdin: is indeed awesome, and it has some fantastic quotes (“you’d be surprised what you can live through!” “he who has the gold makes the rules!”).

Wall-E: is adorable. Most of my friends adore it.

Hunchback: … yay! Another person who loves it! I think a lot of people were turned off by it, because it’s the first movie where a parent said, “OH MY GOSH… I HOPE MY CHILD DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THIS!” That’s one of the reasons I like it so much – it’s a “mature” Disney film, still funny and charming, but also very dark. It explores a lot of deep themes (hypocricy, false piety, cruelty) while sharing an important message about appearances. I have an internal post of about 2000 words devoted to it, that I just haven’t gotten typed out yet. =P

That’s sweet that Snow White so defined your childhood. I will say one thing: that witch is SCARY.

1.) Beauty and the Beast – my absolute favorite Disney movie. It’s beautiful and timeless. My sister and I used to reenact the story as kids, and I always made her play the beast so I could play Belle, haha.
2.) Tangled – Saw this movie with my sisters and was surprised by how much I loved it. It’s been a long time since they’ve made a movie this good.
3.) The Lion King – One of the greatest Disney movies, IMHO. I love the spiritual allegory to the story as well. I could listen to “He lives in you…” all the time.
4.) Tarzan – The best Tarzan adaptation and a fun movie. I can still watch it today and be interested.
5.) Treasure Planet – Another movie that really surprised me as a kid. I remember when it came out I thought only boys would be interested in it, but I found I really liked it. Probably the most entertaining adaptation of the “Treasure Island” novel that I’ve seen.

I’m seeing a lot of B&TB love in this post — for good reason, considering it’s the only animated film ever to get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars! (Ironically, I was midway into watching it last night when the phone rang. Never did finish it!)

Tangled is indeed darling. And yes, the Lion King is incredible. Gorgeous music, too.

You have excellent taste, Veronica! FINALLY someone else who LIKES The Hunchback of Notre Dame! I think it’s gorgeous, brilliant, thought-provoking, and has one of the most haunting scores of any Disney film.

Enchanted was a brilliant idea! One of my friends actually did a recording of how many tributes are in the film toward other Disney movies — I lost count ten minutes in!

I’ve never been a great fan of Disney animated movies, mildly enjoyed most of them, disliked some of them, and never went really gaga over many. Pixar ones, now, even now that Disney has acquired Pixar, Pixar is almost unrelentingly lovely. “Up,” “Wall-E,” and “Monster’s Inc” are among the best movies ever made, never mind animated.

But as far as straight, classical Disney goes, in no particular order, except #1:

Beauty and the Beast, because Books.
Cinderella because Poor and abused girl gets a pretty dress and a better life. (The pretty dress was all that was important when I was 8…)
Lady and the Tramp/101 Dalmations/The Rescuers–all seem to have the same feeling for me, of mystery and a slight, shivery fear and unexpected heroism.
Mulan, because more or less true story and Shakespearean crossdressing.

#1 Best Animated Movie Of All Time: The Emperor’s New Groove. It’s one of the snarkiest movies I have ever seen, it inverts every trope, or hangs lampshades on them, and the Emperor reminds me unceasingly of my older sister (except she’s not a selfish git).

I love the ones that give me something to think about or contain some kind of religious symbolism or imagery (like Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc) the most. I have some movies I just “liked okay” growing up (such as The Aristocrats, Oliver & Company, Cinderella, and so forth) and a few I really flat-out disliked because they were too sad! (Bambi pretty much traumatized me, I’m still against deer hunting! The Fox and the Hound is depressing!)

Pixar does some great work! Up is indeed a masterpiece — and one of the few movies that made me cry in the first ten minutes!

Ah! What a challenge, Charity. I’m afraid I tend to write mini-volumes when responding to these sort of things. So, apologies ahead of time. Here goes:

5. “Bolt” – A lost and confused dog that thinks he’s a super-dog makes for a really original story-line, and also lends itself to the theme that domestic life can be just as exciting and rewarding as the life of a superhero. My family and I really enjoyed all the secondary characters too. The Evil minion cats, Mittens, Rhino, and the pigeons are hysterical.

4. “Meet the Robinsons” – I can’t say much about this one, most of the fun is in all the twists and turns of the story. But the bowler hat guy is one of our favorite villains of all time.

3. “Treasure Planet” – My family only recently came across this adaptation of “Treasure Island”, after seeing a recent, rather disappointing TV version. We had read that this one was actually one of the more faithful to the book, despite the sci-fi setting, and decided to give it a whirl. The way they incorporated the story into the environment lent itself to almost a sort of modern steam-punk feel. Emma Thompson’s walking-dictionary of a Captain was fabulous (I really thought the script was just generally clever. Someone on the writing team must have had an enormous vocabulary.). The colorful animation and crazily-designed characters were quite enjoyable to watch. I was amazed to learn later that this movie was Disney’s biggest financial loss. I think it deserved better.

2. “Sleeping Beauty” – Prince Philip. I have a weakness. He’s one of the active princes that actually does something for his gal. I also think there are so many parallels that can be drawn from the “Prince” coming and fighting to bring his bride back to life. Maybe not just a romantic fairy-tale, perhaps there’s some also Christ imagery going on here. I love that they were able to pull so much of the beautiful music from the original ballet; and I’m also a little bit gaga for Eyvind Earle’s incredible stylistic approach to this movie. The story behind it and how much criticism it met with really gives an interesting peek into the mind of Disney himself, as well as the production process at the time. Lots of mutiny and office politics behind this movie.

Here’s a link to an article on the history of it’s stylistic production, and all the tumult of that ordeal. Definitely worth a read!

1. “The Aristocats” – Can’t say much about why I love this movie except that the nostalgia factor is strong with it. It was on a practically constant loop at out house, growing up, and I love(d) it to bits. The music is delightful, the animation has that classic, amazing Disney fluidity to it, and I may or may not have wanted desperately to be a cat after seeing it. Still a fun romp with another group of lost pets just trying to get home. And the hound dogs are priceless too.

Well that was fun. The real question of course, Charity, is what are YOUR top five favorite Disney animated movies? You know you’ll have to disclose that sometime soon.

You know, I feel kind of bad that I haven’t seen Bolt, Meet the Robinsons, OR Treasure Planet — although the latter does really seem kind of cool. (My brother collects them — I wonder if he has that one?) Of course, I only got around to watching Hercules last year, so you could say I am a bit behind on Disney animated films. 😛

Sleeping Beauty DOES have a gorgeous approach to the material — in particular, the characterization and animation for his villain is incredible. I haven’t seen it since I was about twelve but your comments about the symbolism are interesting — whenever I watch it again, I’ll remember that! Maleficent is a really, really popular villain too — one of my friends was her for Halloween for about six years in a row as a child.

(Wow… I didn’t realize this movie was a box office flop for Disney! Everyone considers it one of their best, so it’s a shock to realize it’s only become popular after the fact!)

The Aristocats: is a darling movie! I’ve always loved cats, so that one has a special place in my heart. So cute!

Ha, ha, ha… I intentionally left mine off for two reasons:

1) I want to do entire posts for each of them at some point (but yeah, I’ll tell you what they are)
2) I was in a hurry this morning!

Mine:

The Lion King: because it combines dark, sadistic Shakespearean plots with my favorite big cats in the animal kingdom (even though I STILL hate watching Musfasa’s death — as a kid, I hid behind the couch whenever that part came on). Scar is also one of the “better” Disney villains in the sense that he actually kills someone.

Beauty & the Beast: seems a cop-out to choose this one since it’s so popular, but I think the animation is spectacular (that ballroom dancing scene!) and I love the transformation of a man from a beast into a man again. Nice Christian symbolism there.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: most people don’t like this film, but I love it as an adaptation of a classic novel, an exploration of a much different brand of evil from Disney, and because the musical score is incredible. Frollo is possibly the most evil villain Disney ever did — because he lusts after a woman, he burns down half of Paris and commits genocide on the gypsies! I love all the symbolism in the film too, the references to Notre Dame as the “eyes of God” … it’s all just… wow.

The Little Mermaid: even though Ariel is a teenage brat, I find her journey touching, and I particularly love her father’s sacrifice on her behalf since it reminds me of Christ. It also has a terrific climax — an enormous octopus sea witch and ghost ships?! Sweet!

My fifth is a tie between Aladdin (great songs and animation) and The Great Mouse Detective … because it doesn’t get much better than a mouse Sherlock Holmes!

Beauty and the Beast: beautiful picture of Christ loving the unlovable – and the power of transformation that this love can bring. Amazing animation, the entrance scene to the castle is breathtaking. The music is sweeping.

Tangled: Maybe looking back this might not make the cut, but my family took me to see it on my 23rd birthday. It was nice to feel like a little princess again, and be reminded of all the reasons Disney princess films made me happy as a child. And the floating lantern scene and song! I left and bought the soundtrack for that alone as soon as we left (I’m not an impulsive buyer, so that is kind of a big deal).

Toy Story Trilogy: I know it is technically a Pixar/Disney effort (and I think Pixar really should get the credit for making these a success). When Toy Story came out in 1995, I actually didn’t like it. I was in grade school and for some odd reason thought to be mature I couldn’t like animated films (and, for that matter, ones that talked about T-O-Y-S), so for this reason I decided NOT to like it. And Sid and the doll-head spider contraption kind of freaked me out.
As I got older I realized how incredibly clever the dialogue, so after film number 2, I was a fan again. By number 3, I was crying when all the toys faced a fiery demise in the trash disposal plant. I knew that it couldn’t happen (this IS a Disney film), but what if it did? (This was post the brutal and unexpected deaths of Robin Hood’s Marian and the love of Batman’s life. If screenwriters were going to mess with me that much, why shouldn’t I expect that Disney wouldn’t do the same). I was so pleasantly surprised and ecstatic when Woody, Buzz, and the gang survived.

Finding Nemo: First off, this film is beautiful. It also came out when I was a teenager, and able to appreciate all the dialogue that makes Pixar brilliant. My baby sister (14 years younger) watched this on repeat, and even though we all complained and joked about it getting old – it never actually did get old. On another side note, I’m terrified of the ocean, so it’s a nice, happy, safe place for me to experience it! ;P

101 Dalmations: “My nose is cold, and my paws are cold.” It just doesn’t get cuter. Daddy and Mommy coming to the rescue (that’s all a child really wants), with all these wonderful animals helping the poor little puppies make their way home. I can be found bellowing “Cruella De Vil” around the house on occasion. Oh, and the theme song to “Kanine Krunchies.”

What are your’s Charity? Are you waiting until the end so as not to influence us?

Beauty & the Beast is in my top five (probably #2). It’s wonderful, and I love the symbolism at the end.

I was surprised how much I liked Tangled! I really loved the animation; while I enjoy “drawn” artwork, there’s something so charming about computer-animation now. The lantern scene really is spectacular!

The first Toy Story isn’t my favorite of the three (yeah, because Sid is so awful!) but I loved the second one… and the third one MADE ME CRY! Andy gave away his toys!!

Finding Nemo: “I will call him my squishie!” So quotable. So funny.

101 Dalmations is indeed wonderful… and it doesn’t get much more EVIL than a woman who wants to KILL PUPPIES!!

My favorites:

The Lion King: it’s Hamlet in the animal world (but with a happy ending!), it’s about lions (and since childhood, I have always adored big cats), and Scar is such an incredible villain. He has to be one of the most evil villains in Disney history. I mean, the dude KILLED HIS OWN BROTHER!

Beauty & the Beast: I love the religious symbolism of Beast turning into the Prince (it’s kind of a Christian allegory in images, which is lovely — his animator was a believer, and it shows), Belle is a terrific heroine, and the music is lovely.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: the music is what makes this so incredible for me — the Latin chants, the sweeping, epic score, the backdrop of Notre Dame with some gorgeous backgrounds, plus, Frollo is so twisted… just a terrific villain. It gives me a lot to think about as regards lust/persecution/false righteousness.

The Little Mermaid: it has some wonderful imagery (Tritan sacrificing his life for his child) and music, and I love her sidekicks the best, plus it has one of the best climaxes in the canon stories (a huge sea witch?!).

I’m undecided which is my fifth — it’s either The Great Mouse Detective (can it get any cuter than a mouse Sherlock Holmes?!) or Aladdin (because it’s just awesome).